Identifying device



June 18, 1963 J. G. LORD 3,093,993

IDENTIFYING DEVICE Filed July 5, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 56' 5o l i 5 I'! i i i l i i I' i V6] m wz g 48 3 3*, 3/ 4 WITT-Dl 4 L l l' [l l' l l 4 32/1i /l jv,

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June 18, 1963 Filed July 5 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @waff ff f f A@ WW2* l I l l I7 I9 5 2| 23 25 l-7 L g l-B FIG 5 48 32 l 'l'.l l /r`l4 54/ sow eoA/r INVENTOR l 40 JOHN G. LORD A\\ BY ATT'Y.

United States Patent Ofi ce 3,093,993 Patented June 18, 1963 3,093,993 IDENTIFYIN G DEVICE John G. Lord, Swarthmore, Pa., assignor to Shoup Re- Search & Development Corporation, Ridley Park, Pa. Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,480 Claims. (Cl. '70-352) 'I'his invention relates to a card reading or identifying device.

Various persons, such as voters, charge account holders, oicers of various organizations and various employees, are `given identification cards which hear their names and signatures, as well as other possible identifying data. The mere presentation of such a card is not sufficient identification and the requirement that the holder of the card also sign his name for comparison with the signature on the card, is time-sonsuming and inconvenient. Also, in lthe hands of anyone but a handwriting expert, a comparison of signatures can be misleading.

In order to make for a more positive identification, it has :been proposed, as for example in Patent 1,813,257, to code the more common physical characteristics, such as height, color of eyes, vor of hair, size and shape of nose, etc., in a matrix and to issue the person to be identified a card having the coded data punched therein so that, when the cand is superimposed on the matrix, the coded physical characteristics of the bearer will show through the holes in the card. This procedure is complicated and cumbersome, and is not very reliable Ibecause the general, and easily recognizable, characteristics, such as grey hair and dark eyes, and big nose, etc., are usually common to more than one person in an organization `or community.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to produce an improved identifying device which infallibly identifies the person as a member of a group, or class, or as an individual.

`It is conceivable that, With a sufficiently complicated electrical, or electronic, apparatus, infallible identification can be obtained, ibut the expense of production and maintenance and the skill needed in operating such a device, will exceed the benefit derived. Also, an electrically operated device is useless where electric power fails, or is unavailable to begin with.

It is therefore a further object of the invention to produce an identifying device iwhich is extremely simple and inexpensive to produce, which needs no maintenance, and which can be operated without any skill, and without electric power.

In certain cases, such as in the ope-ration of a voting machine, for example, it is desirable to tie the operation of the voting machine with the proper identification of the person trying to vote, to the end that, if the person presenting the card is positively identilied, the voting machine will be released, or made available for use, and vice versa.

It is therefore a still further object Iof the invention to produce an improved identifying device which can be readily operatively connected to a voting machine, or other apparatus, so that positive identification will automatically release the vote-casting mechanism of a voting machine, or will initiate, or make possible, some other effect, or process.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

iFIG. 1 is an exploded view of a card identifying device embodying the invention, some parts being omitted and other parts being broken away to show details of construction.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view looking in the direction of line 2 2 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan View looking in the direction of line 3 3 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view looking in the direction of line 4 4 on FIG. `1.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view looking in the direction of line 5 5 on FIG. l.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 6 6 on FIG. 5 and showing all of the parts of FIG. 1 assembled.

FIG. 7 is lan enlarged sectional view looking in the direction of line 7 7 on FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view looking in the direction of line 8 8 on FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 9 9 on FIG. 5.

The device illustrated includes a 'block 10 of the desired shape and size which is provided with any desired number of holes, such as holes 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 2S and 26, which can be arranged in any desired pattern according to the particular requirements of a particular situation, and which are adapted to accommodate any desired number of sensing pins like pins 28, 29, 30 and 31, which are best shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8.

Co-acting with block 10 and with the pins therein, is a gate 32 which is a plate having a num-ber of keyhole openings (FIG. 4) which preferably correspond to the number of holes in the block. Gate 32 is slidably mounted, relative to the block, by means of slots 34 which engage pins 36 which are fixed on the top of the block. Pins 29 and 31 are provided with shoulders 38 and are biased outwardly of the block by springs 40 whereby, when not otherwise restained, all of the pins will be moved outwardly until their shoulders 3S abut shoulders 42 of the block, as best shown in FIG. 6.-

The :sensing pins are provided with reduced portions 44 which are located at the same, or at different, distances yfrom their shoulders 38 whereby, when the pins are pushed outwardly by springs 40, as far as they can go, the reduced portion 44 of at least one of the two, or more, pins `in the block, such as pin 21a, which is in opening 21 in the block,-will be out of registration with the narrow portion of its keyhole opening in gate 32. and the gate will be locked against lateral movement relative to the block. Conversely, if the reduced portions of all of the pins used in the block register with the narrow portions of their respective keyhole openings, the gate can be moved relative to the block. Gate 32 is connected by a strap 33, or the like, to a switch, or lever, or voting machine, or other mechanism 46, so that the immobility of the gate will have one effect on the mechanism and the mobility ,of the gate will have the `opposite effect. For example, if `the gate is connected to the switch, `the switch cannot be turned on, or.off, unless the gate can be moved, and vice versa. If the gate is connected toa voting machine, the machine arrangement can be such that, in one position of the gate, the voting machine will be locked and cannot be used by the voter and in another position of the gate, the machine will be open, or available for use. Other, practically unlimited, uses can be imagined, but need not be specifically recited. It need only be remembered that when the reduced portions 44 of all `of the pins register with the narrow portions of the keyhole openings, the gate can be moved to lock, orunlock, any given mechansm, and that when the reduced portion 44 of only one pin is out of registration with the narrow portion of its keyhole opening, the gate is locked.

The gate and the relation of the reduced portions 44 to their keyhole openings in the gate are concealed by a cap 48 which Ais fixed to, and co-acts with, the top of the block to provide a space for slidably enclosing gate 32. Cap 48 is provided with holes 11' to 26', which correspond -to holes 11 to 26 in the block, and to the keyhole openings in gate 32 and through which the ends 45 of some, or all, of the sensing pins project, as shown in FIGS, 6, 7 and 8. With nothing visible except the outer ends 45 of the sening pins, no one, other than the person who set the pins up, will know which of the pins, if any, need be pushed down to bring its corresponding reduced portion 44 into registration with the corresponding keyhole opening to permit movement of the gate. Since, in actual use, no one who knows the pattern of the pins is allowed to approach the identifying device, the apparatus is completely tamper-proof.

The person to be identified is issued a card 49 which has a number of holes which may correspond to the total number of openings in the block, or which can correspond to the pins used at any one time, the holes in the card being arranged in a pattern which is complementary to the pattern of the pins in the block. For example, for one purpose, all of the pins used, such as pins 28 and 29, will be identical in that their reduced portions 44 are equidistant from their shoulders 38 whereby, when pins 23 and 29 are pushed out by their springs 40, their reduced portions spontaneously register with their keyhole openings and gate 32 will be free to move. But, before any attempt is lmade to move the gate, the identifying card 49 must be placed in holder 50, with its index mark S2 registering with an index mark, not shown, on holder 50, or on cap 48, and the holder and card must be moved down, to a predetermined extent, toward cap 48, or to the position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Now, if only two pins 28 and 29 are used, and if, as in FIG. 7, the reduced portions 42 of both pins spontaneously register with their keyhole openings, the identifying card need only have two holes 54 and 56 which are so spaced and arranged that, when the card is moved to the position shown in FIG. 7, pins 28 and 29 will pass through holes 54 land 56 in card 49 and through the corresponding holes in cap 48 and through holes 54" and 56 in card holder 50. Again, if two pins 30 and 31 are used and if the card presented does not have holes which permit free passage of these two pins, the card will depress one of the pins, such as pin 31, to move its reduced portion 44 out of registration with its keyhole opening, as shown in FIG. 8, and gate 32 can not be moved and the card is rejected, and vice versa.

In another arrangement, the reduced portions 44 of pins 19a and 20a are not equidistant from shoulders 38 so that the reduced portion of one pin does, and the reduced portion of the other pin does not, register with its keyhole opening. Therefore, if a card like that of FIG. 7 is used, that is, if the card has holes through which pins 19a and 20a can pass, the gate will remain locked. For this situation, a card must be used which has one hole to permit pin 19a to pass, but which, like the card of FIG. 8, has a solid portion which registers with, and depresses pin a to cause its reduced portion to register with its keyhole opening and permit movement of the gate 32. Obviously, a card like that of FIG. 7 will not work with the arrangement of FIG. 8, and vice versa, and the cards of FIGS. 7 and 8 will not work with the arrangement of FIG. 9, and vice versa. While block 10 can accommodate sixteen pins, it is obvious that even with a lesser number of pins, an extremely large number of different patterns and matching cards can be made. Card holder 50 can be somehow interlocked with the gate so that, regardless of the position of the pins, the gate cannot be moved until the card holder has been moved from a position in which it is spaced upwardly from cap 48 to the position in which the card holder and the card abut, orare very close to cap 48, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. This guards against movement of the gate by actuation of the pins by any means, except by the card 49 in holder 50.

The operation is as follows:

Let it be assumed that mechanism 46 is a voting machine and that it is to be used by voters registered in a given precinct. The officers at election headquarters set up a predetermined pattern of pins in the block which matches the pattern of holes punched in the identifying cards issued to the voters. The sealed device, as shown in FIG. 6, attached, by strap 33, to the voting machine 46 in such a manner as to lock the machine. When a voter presents his identifying card 49, it is placed in card holder 50 and the voter, or an election ofiicer, trips a switch, or lever, to move the card down on the pins. lf the openings and/or solid portions of the card match the pin pattern, as in FIGS. 7 and 9, gate 32 is released and its movement unlocks the voting machine for use by the voter. If the openings and/or solid portions of the card do not match, as in FIG. 8, the gate cannot be moved and the voting machine remains locked. In the absence of a defect in the voting machine, or elsewhere, the inability of the voter to close the curtain will indicate that the voter does not have the proper identification and, hence, cannot vote.

It will be understood that card 49 is used only as an example and that the identifying device could take the shape of any element which can be presented to the pins in such a manner as not to affect the pins whose reduced portions spontaneously register with the slots of their keyhole openings and to move the remaining pins to cause their reduced portions to register with their corresponding slots, For example, the card can be in the nature of a block having blind holes of different depths, so as to depress some pin and not others, or it could be a non-magnetic plate studded with a pattern of separate magnets, each of which will pull, or push, a corresponding pin, and so on. Therefore. the word card is to be understood as including the objects mentioned and their equivalents. Also, the movement of gate 32 can be used to open a lock, or to initiate, or to stop, or otherwise modify, any other operation.

What I claim is:

l. An identifying device comprising:

a block having a first set of apertures formed therein and arranged in a predetermined pattern,

each of said apertures having a wide portion and a narrow portion,

a pin movable in each of said apertures and including a first portion movable in the wide portion of the corresponding aperture and a second portion movable in the narrow portion of the corresponding aperture,

biasing means urging each of said pins outwardly of said block,

a flange carried by each of said pins and movable in said wide portion only to limit the movement of each of said pins to the length of the wide portion of its aperture,

the lengths of said pins being such that the second portions thereof extend at all times through the narrow portions of said apertures,

each of said pins having an intermediate portion of reduced cross-section as compared with the crosssection of its rst and second portions,

a lock plate (32) mounted for sliding movement relative to said first set of apertures in said block and having a plurality of keyhole openings therein corresponding in number and pattern to said first set of apertures,

the small portions of said keyhole openings being wide enough to receive the intermediate reduced cross-section portions of said pins but too small to receive the first and second portions of said pins,

the lengths of the second portions of said pins being different to vary the distance between the ends of said pins and the reduced cross-sections thereof,

a card-holder movable towards, and away from, said lock plate,

a card detachably carried by said card-holder and having a number of cheek openings therein arranged to correspond to a randomly selected number of pins less than the total number of pins of said block,

the portions of said card between said check openings being solid whereby the second portions of some of the pins being biased towards said lock plate will pass through the large portions of the keyhole openings therein and whereby the second portions of the remaining pins will come in contact with the Solid portions of said card,

the arrangement of said check openings and the intermediate solid portions of said card relative to the randomly selected pins being such that the pins whose reduced cross-section portions register with the small portions of their respective keyhole openings will project through the' check openings in said card and whereby the pins whose reduced cross-section portions do not register with the small portions of their respective keyhole openings will be depressed by the solid portions of the card to bring their reduced crosssection portions into alignment with the small portions of their respective keyholes to permit movement of said lock plate relative to said block.

2. The structure recited in claim l and a guide member (48) overlying said block .and guiding said lock plate in its movement relative to said block.

3. An identifying device comprising a supporting block,

a plurality of apertures arranged in a predetermined pattern in said block,

a pin movably positioned in each aperture,

each of said pins having .an end portion adapted to eX- tend through the corresponding aperture and outside said block,

biasing means urging each of said pins outwardly of said block,

stop means restraining each of said pins from moving beyond a predetermined distance outwardly of said block,

each of said pins having a reduced intermediate portion of reduced diameter relative to the remaining portions thereof,

a plate superimposed on said block in overlying relation to said apertures and the pins therein,

said plate being transversely movable relative to the axes of said apertures and having a plurality of plate apertures therein corresponding in number to the apertures in said block,

the plate apertures in said plate having diameters corresponding to the diameters of the .apertures in said block and being spaced from each other by distances corresponding to the distances between the apertures in said block,

each of the plate apertures having a lateral extension of reduced diameter relative to the plate apertures themselves,

said lateral extensions being suiciently wide to receive the intermediate reduced portions of said pins, but

too narrow to receive the remaining portions of said pins and being arranged in at least one row or" linear alignment,

each plate aperture, together with its corresponding lateral extension, being linearly spaced from the plate vapertures and their corresponding lateral extensions adjacent thereto,

said plate `being normally positioned to align the plate apertures with corresponding apertures in the block whereby said pins are normally 'biased through corresponding plate apertures,

said pins being individually and selectively constructed to vary the position of the intermediate reduced portions thereon in relation to the corresponding plate apertures,

said plate being operatively connected to an operating mechanism for actuation of said operating mechanism in accordance with the position of said plate relative to said block,

a cover cap substantially enclosing said plate,

said cover cap having apertures therein in alignment with the apertures in said block and of a size and pattern of arrangement corresponding to the apertures in said block,

and a card holder movable toward and away from said cover cap and having means thereon for releasably retaining an actuating card thereon,

said pins tbeing normally biased :through `said plate apertures and through the apertures in said cover cap into contact with said card when said card is brought into superimposed relation to said cover cap by said card holder, and said card `being constructed to be positioned entirely outside said cover plate when in said superimposed relation thereto whereby :contact between the pins and the card `is entirely outside said cover cap,

said card having engagement portions thereof arranged to engage corresponding pins,

said engagement portions being constructed to act upon the corresponding pins to selectively move and permit non-movement of said corresponding pins against the force of said biasing means.

4. The identifying device of claim 3 wherein the reduced intermediate portions of all the pins yare provided in corresponding positions.

5. The identifying device of claim 3 wherein the reduced portion of at least one pin is provided in a different position thereon frorn the position of reduced portions on at least one other pin.

401,151 Germany Aug. 24, 1924 

1. AN IDENTIFYING DEVICE COMPRISING: A BLOCK HAVING A FIRST SET OF APERTURES FORMED THEREIN AND ARRANGED IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN, EACH OF SAID APERTURES HAVING A WIDE PORTION AND A NARROW PORTION, A PIN MOVABLE IN EACH OF SAID APERTURES AND INCLUDING A FIRST PORTION MOVABLE IN THE WIDE PORTION OF THE CORRESPONDING APERTURE AND A SECOND PORTION MOVABLE IN THE NARROW PORTION OF THE CORRESPONDING APERTURE, BIASING MEANS URGING EACH OF SAID PINS OUTWARDLY OF SAID BLOCK, A FLANGE CARRIED BY EACH OF SAID PINS AND MOVABLE IN SAID WIDE PORTION ONLY TO LIMIT THE MOVEMENT OF EACH OF SAID PINS TO THE LENGTH OF THE WIDE PORTION OF ITS APERTURE, THE LENGTHS OF SAID PINS BEING SUCH THAT THE SECOND PORTIONS THEREOF EXTEND AT ALL TIMES THROUGH THE NARROW PORTIONS OF SAID APERTURES, EACH OF SAID PINS HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF REDUCED CROSS-SECTION AS COMPARED WITH THE CROSSSECTION OF ITS FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS, A LOCK PLATE (32) MOUNTED FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST SET OF APERTURES IN SAID BLOCK AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF KEYHOLE OPENINGS THEREIN CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER AND PATTERN TO SAID FIRST SET OF APERTURES, THE SMALL PORTIONS OF SAID KEYHOLE OPENINGS BEING WIDE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE THE INTERMEDIATE REDUCED CROSS-SECTION PORTIONS OF SAID PINS BUT TOO SMALL TO RECEIVE THE FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS OF SAID PINS, THE LENGTHS OF THE SECOND PORTIONS OF SAID PINS BEING DIFFERENT TO VARY THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID PINS AND THE REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONS THEREOF, A CARD-HOLDER MOVABLE TOWARDS, AND AWAY FROM, SAID LOCK PLATE, A CARD DETACHABLY CARRIED BY SAID CARD-HOLDER AND HAVING A NUMBER OF CHECK OPENINGS THEREIN ARRANGED TO CORRESPOND TO A RANDOMLY SELECTED NUMBER OF PINS LESS THAN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PINS OF SAID BLOCK, THE PORTIONS OF SAID CARD BETWEEN SAID CHECK OPENINGS BEING SOLID WHEREBY THE SECOND PORTIONS OF SOME OF THE PINS BEING BIASED TOWARDS SAID LOCK PLATE WILL PASS THROUGH THE LARGE PORTIONS OF THE KEYHOLE OPENINGS THEREIN AND WHEREBY THE SECOND PORTIONS OF THE REMAINING PINS WILL COME IN CONTACT WITH THE SOLID PORTIONS OF SAID CARD, THE ARRANGEMENT OF SAID CHECK OPENINGS AND THE INTERMEDIATE SOLID PORTIONS OF SAID CARD RELATIVE TO THE RANDOMLY SELECTED PINS BEING SUCH THAT THE PINS WHOSE REDUCED CROSS-SECTION PORTIONS REGISTER WITH THE SMALL PORTIONS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE KEYHOLE OPENINGS WILL PROJECT THROUGH THE CHECK OPENINGS IN SAID CARD AND WHEREBY THE PINS WHOSE REDUCED CROSS-SECTION PORTIONS DO NOT REGISTER WITH THE SMALL PORTIONS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE KEYHOLE OPENINGS WILL BE DEPRESSED BY THE SOLID PORTIONS OF THE CARD TO BRING THEIR REDUCED CROSSSECTION PORTIONS INTO ALIGNMENT WITH THE SMALL PORTIONS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE KEYHOLES TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF SAID LOCK PLATE RELATIVE TO SAID BLOCK. 